Includes Forrester research panel data, Client Choice topic Social Media Playtime Is Over Applications by Jeremiah K. Owyang with Josh Bernoff, Tom Cummings, and Emily Bowen EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The recession has put more pressure on interactive marketers to deliver measurable results. While many marketing budgets are being cinched, more than 50% of interactive marketers say they will increase their spending on social marketing. Why? These inexpensive tools can quickly get marketing messages out through interactive discussion and rapid word of mouth and, properly managed, can deliver measurable results. But in this downturn, interactive marketers must move beyond experimentation by making social applications a permanent part of marketing, measuring and demonstrating their value, and integrating them into marketing efforts. SOCIAL MEDIA INVESTMENTS ARE SMALL BUT GROWING As social media continues to grow and as both consumers and business buyers participate at a growing rate more and more marketers are including it in the marketing mix. 1 But as budgets tighten due to the recession, this relatively new form of marketing faces some challenges. We surveyed 145 global interactive marketers in both B2B and B2C companies with more than 250 employees (see Figure 1). Overall, interactive marketers continue to show faith in social technology marketing: Most already use social technologies for marketing. Almost all of the interactive marketers we surveyed are currently using some form of social media. Most plan increases despite the recession, starting with investments in social networks, blogs, and user-generated content (see Figure 2). Even as the recession has worsened, marketer commitments are still steady. 2 Social application spending remains small. Fifty-three percent of interactive marketers using social media expect that their budgets for social media marketing will increase as a response to the recession (see Figure 3). Despite this shift toward social, these budgets remain minuscule compared with larger expenditures like advertising. Interactive marketers at large companies are still only spending a fraction of their resources on social marketing in fact, three-quarters who know their budgets say they allow $100,000 or less for tools over 12 months (see Figure 4). Social applications aren t a formalized line item in marketing budgets. Social marketing isn t yet a formalized line item in the marketing budget, as most social application budgets aren t predetermined. Among the marketers we surveyed, 45% say their social media budgets are determined as needed, while 23% say they scrape together funds from wherever they can find them (see Figure 5-1). Marketers are shifting funding from other established efforts like corporate marketing or advertising, and only one in four say that their current social media marketing budget is based on last year s spend (see Figure 5-2). Headquarters Forrester Research, Inc., 400 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA www.forrester.com
2 Figure 1 Respondents Represent A Range Of Company Types 1-1 In your job, which of the following best describes the audience that your products or marketing are targeted to? Both 35% B2C 32% 1-2 Using your best estimate, how many employees work for your company worldwide? 20,000 employees or more 28% 250 to 499 employees 500 to 999 employees B2B 32% (percentages do not total 100 because of rounding) 5,000 to 19,999 employees 21% 1,000 to 4,999 employees 24% 1-3 Using your best estimate, in calendar year 2008, approximately what was your company s worldwide marketing budget in US$? Don t know 21% Prefer not to say 1-4 Using your best estimate, how many employees work for your company worldwide? SMB (less than 1,000 employees) 27% $10M to $50M 11% Base: 145 global interactive marketers at companies with 250 employees or more More than $50M 18% Less than $10M 38% Enterprise (1,000 employees or more) 73%
3 Figure 2 Marketers Shift Budget To Social Media Marketing Assuming that the economy is in a recession in the next six months, how would you change your investment in the following marketing channels? Social networking Blogging User-generated content Mobile marketing Search marketing Online video Widgets Podcasting Email marketing RSS Game marketing Display ads Increase Stay the same Decrease 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Base: global interactive marketers at companies with 250 employees or more who use each channel Figure 3 Marketers To Increase Social Media Marketing Spending Even During A Downturn N=119 N=118 N=105 N=79 N=135 N=119 N=74 N=92 N=129 N=102 N=37 N=116 Assuming that the economy is in recession in the next six months, how would you change your investment in social media overall? Decrease 5% Stays the same 42% Increase 53% Base: 114 global social media marketers at companies with 250 employees or more who have planned their 2009 budgets
4 Figure 4 Budgets For Social Media Marketing Remain Minuscule What is your total current budget for tools and soft costs, like services, strategy, and support (e.g., non-tools)? $0 to $30,000 40% 49% $30,001 to $50,000 11% $50,001 to $75,000 $75,001 to $100,000 $100,001 to $200,000 More than $200,000 7% 8% 8% 11% 13% Soft costs Tools Did you know? Three-quarters of marketers have $100,000 or less budgeted for social media marketing. Base: 83 global social media marketers at companies with 250 employees or more who know their current budgets
Figure 5 5-1 How are you budgeting (or how did you budget) for your social media spend? (Select all that apply.) Our budget is determined on an as-needed basis throughout the year Last year s spend (or past spend) Our budget is scraped together from whatever we can get Past performance 23% 26% 45% We don t have a budget 7% Industry benchmark spend 6% Competitor spend 5% Our budget is unlimited 2% Other 8% 5-2 The main source of funds spent on social media marketing has been shifted from which marketing budgets? Our corporate marketing budget 35% Our advertising budget 24% Another part of our company budget Sales or a part of the sales support organization s budget Another marketing organization s budget 5% 3% 10% Money set aside from customer accounts 2% Other, please specify 7% Don t know Base: 123 global social media marketers at companies 250 employees or more
6 R E C O M M E N D A T I O N S PURSUE OBJECTIVES WITH DEDICATED SOCIAL APPLICATIONS PROGRAMS Our data shows that marketers intend to invest more in social media but have yet to justify unlikely to be able to do enough to make an impact or to have a secure source of funding for the future. One way to put these efforts on a firmer footing is to concentrate on objectives and 3 Demonstrate how social media marketing is effective during budget trimming. on how customers have moved farther down the marketing funnel. Measure their awareness through activity, their interest through interaction, and their intent to buy with registration or questions. 4 analytics. Manage social media for the long term. As one of the few marketing budget items increasing during a recession, social media marketing needs to be taken seriously and treated as a corporate asset. To be successful, social media marketing must be managed as resources in place, including both social media strategists and community managers. 6 Accurately prove effectiveness through social application metrics. Marketers must prove the worth of social media applications as they pry away budget from corporate marketing or advertising. In order to prove the value of these applications, measure using the right process and tools. Start with a listening platform, and then integrate social marketing metrics like share of voice and engagement that demonstrate how these efforts convert to preference, leads, or buying. 7 SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL Methodology Forrester s Q4 2008 Global Social Media Planning Online Survey was fielded to a total of 323 global interactive marketing professionals from our ongoing Marketing & Strategy Research Panel as well as to marketers who were invited through several interactive channels including personal blogs and Twitter. The panel consists of volunteers who join on the basis of interest and familiarity with specific social media topics. For quality assurance, panelists are required to provide contact information and answer basic questions about their firms revenue and budgets additionally, respondents from outside sources were screened both before and after they completed the survey.
7 Forrester fielded the survey from November 2008 to January 2009. Respondent incentives included a current research report and a future research report that uses the data from this survey. Exact sample sizes are provided in this report on a question-by-question basis. Panels are not guaranteed to be representative of the population. Unless otherwise noted, statistical data is intended to be used for descriptive and not inferential purposes. If you re interested in joining one of Forrester s research panels, you may visit us at http://forrester. com/panel. ENDNOTES 1 Social Technographics helps marketers to understand how consumers use social technologies. Online consumers using social-created content increased from 48% in 2007 to 69% in 2008. See the October 20, 2008, The Growth Of Social Technology Adoption report. 2 During economic downturn marketers typically cut interactive spending. Our early 2008 surveys of interactive marketers indicate that many are planning to increase budgets in social networking, email, blogging, and search optimization. See the April 30,, 2008, Interactive Marketers Are Bullish In A Recession report. 3 When planning a social technology strategy, we recommend four steps: examine the social profile of your customers, choose a clear objective, develop a long-term strategy, and then pick the appropriate technology. Focusing on objectives is the key. See the October 9, 2007, Objectives: The Key To Creating A Social Strategy report. 4 Marketers must measure metrics that matter, like sales, leads, or increases in awareness, not page views and click-through rates. To succeed with measuring social applications, tap into agencies or listening platforms. See the October 17, 2008, Metrics For Social Applications In A Downturn report. 5 Marketers should develop social media marketing campaigns based on objectives not tactics. See the March 4, 2008, How To Choose The Right Social Technologies report. 6 Marketers must have the right roles in place to manage social programs. Like a virtual store, the Social Computing strategist is the store manager, and the community manager is the friendly host. Use these roles to set your programs in motion and to interface with the market. See the February 28, 2008, How To Staff For Social Computing report. 7 Listening is often the first objective for brands that want to step into the online conversation. To understand the conversation in your market, brands must develop a listening strategy, and then select the right vendor. Based on our analysis, Nielsen BuzzMetrics and TNS Cymfony are the strongest performers. See the January 23, 2009, The Forrester Wave : Listening Platforms, Q1 2009 report. Forrester Research, Inc. (Nasdaq: FORR) is an independent research company that provides pragmatic and forward-thinking advice to global leaders in business and technology. Forrester works with professionals in 19 key roles at major companies providing proprietary research, consumer insight, consulting, events, and peer-to-peer executive programs. For more than 25 years, Forrester has been making IT, marketing, and technology industry leaders successful every day. For more information, visit www.forrester.com. 2009, Forrester Research, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. Information is based on best available resources. Opinions reflect judgment at the time and are subject to change. Forrester, Technographics, Forrester Wave, RoleView, TechRadar, and Total Economic Impact are trademarks of Forrester Research, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies. To purchase reprints of this document, please email clientsupport@forrester.com. For additional information, go to www.forrester.com.